Passenger Trains > AMTK 301

AMTK 301 leading no. 11 the Coast Starlight out of Portland OR today

Hasn't it made some successful trips by now?  

Maybe there is actually nothing wrong with it, but bad Eastern karma.  :-)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/25 22:11 by GenePoon.

Maybe they actually did send (tow) it to Siemens in Sacramento (well, Florin) to have all the proposed modifications we've talked about on Trainorders done!

what is the max speed on Amtrak 11 ?

It was the leader on the Albany Oregon pedestrian strike the other day on #11

As to speeds on the Coast Starlight, they have run on time with freight power straight out of Seattle any number of times

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/02/25 18:22 by INTLRAILTRAVELLER.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> what is the max speed on Amtrak 11 ?

79 MPH where allowed.

I believe the maximum is 79.9 on the BNSF, which would mean in places between Seattle and Portland, depending mostly on curvature, but on the UP between Portland and LA I'm not sure.  It seems to me UP prefers 70.

Thanks to each of you.

There was some speculation that running above 70 mph triggers problems with the locomotive.

Posted from Android

> I believe the maximum is 79.9 on the BNSF
Reminds me that the Central of Georgia advertised 59.9 mph for the Nancy Hanks II, which ran on dark territory most of the way between Macon, Ga. and Savannah.

ctillnc Wrote:
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> > I believe the maximum is 79.9 on the BNSF
> Reminds me that the Central of Georgia advertised
> 59.9 mph for the Nancy Hanks II, which ran on dark
> territory most of the way between Macon, Ga. and
> Savannah.

Yes, remember seeing that in CofG employee timetables.  That complies with the "under 60" requirement for passenger trains in non-signaled territory.

Jim

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Thanks to each of you.
>
> There was some speculation that running above 70
> mph triggers problems with the locomotive.

Interesting. I would love to see the logic behind that conclusion.

I hope that speculation about problems with running above 70 with a Charger is unfounded.  We don't need any more time added to the Coast Starlight schedule between Seattle and Portland. I assume we're talking long-distance Chargers here.

BrightLine runs a lot faster than 70 with no issues....

Typhoon Wrote:
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> BrightLine runs a lot faster than 70 with no
> issues....

Two locomotives and four cars gave a pretty good HPT ratio. Even now, with two locomotives, nine cars, and a pool table flat terrain, the BrightLine locomotives can handle it.   

I believe the BrightLine locomotives are rated at 4,000 hp while the Amtrak long distance version is rated at 4,200 hp. The state version is rated at 4,400 hp.  With the same power plant.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Typhoon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > BrightLine runs a lot faster than 70 with no
> > issues....
>
> Two locomotives and four cars gave a pretty good
> HPT ratio. Even now, with two locomotives, nine
> cars, and a pool table flat terrain, the
> BrightLine locomotives can handle it.   
>
> I believe the BrightLine locomotives are rated at
> 4,000 hp while the Amtrak long distance version is
> rated at 4,200 hp. The state version is rated at
> 4,400 hp.  With the same power plant.

So speed, some random 70 mph speed that people are now talking about, has nothing to do with it.  Got it. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/25 12:52 by Typhoon.

UP allows 79 on Coast Starlight. 

301 (currently on 14 northbound) has been making this run for a while now.  This is probably the 7th 11/14 roundtrip but I've lost count.  A couple weeks ago it dropped off the tracking site for a week or more after bringing 11 to LA.   Maybe it needed work.  All this began after coming out on the Builder when it was reported dead right out of Chicago.  Still don't know if they got it going or had an engine meet it in Spokane.

If it broke down on 11/14, could that slip by unnoticed?  2 engines.

Sheer speculation here, but might 301 just be a "shop queen" locomotive requiring constant minor fixes?

KurtBWNews Wrote:
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> Sheer speculation here, but might 301 just be a
> "shop queen" locomotive requiring constant minor
> fixes?

Or just hasn't been to the "right" shop. LA takes care of the Chargers assigned to the Surfliners too so they have accumulated some experience working on them and may have figured out their tricks.